


Not Quite Romeo and Juliet

by saramcm



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-13 00:24:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11173134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saramcm/pseuds/saramcm
Summary: "In Ethan’s wildest dreams they would both get leading roles in the cheesiest love story to ever grace the mediocre stage of their school and they would repeatedly kiss in rehearsal because the final product had to be just right."Prompt: High school AU where Mark and Ethan are the leads for a play and the characters hate each other but Mark and Ethan are in love.





	Not Quite Romeo and Juliet

Ethan hated to admit it, as much as he agreed with the others, but their teacher was a little bit delusional. She wasn’t a bad person, and they didn’t have a bad time at drama club. There was just always that time, _that one time_ when they were forced to put on a terribly play written by the woman. Perhaps it was exactly because Ms. Young was such a nice lady that no one had the heart to tell her the plot was terribly cliché and the dialogue was incredibly boring. Ah, but of course, sprinkled with the famous scenes where the characters were suddenly so extra that you’d have to wonder what went through the woman’s mind at certain hours of the day, that her brain would suddenly go on overdrive while she was writing and out-of-place madness would translate into the script.

Ethan reached the last few lines of the script just as Mark sat down beside him in the near empty room. “What a shit show, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ethan replied, rolling up the printed papers after reading the last word. “It’s gonna be terrible.”

Mark shrugged. “Sure. But I think it’ll be fun to put on.”

“Maybe. D’you think the turnout will be better than last year?”

“Probably even worse.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Don’t take it too seriously.” Mark stretched as he spoke, effectively laying his arm over the back of Ethan’s chair. “It won’t feel like lost time if you’re having fun with it, y’know?”

Ethan smiled and nodded. He couldn’t quite explain what was going on between Mark and he, but he rather enjoyed it. Well, of course he would. Somehow, they seemed to gravitate towards each other, and with how pathetically in love Ethan was with Mark’s smile and the warmth of his skin, Ethan was terribly thankful for the turn of events. If only he’d ask Mark what was it that compelled the other to always find the spot nearest to Ethan to seat down and always find excuses to touch him even when the script didn’t call for it, maybe then Ethan could stop his ridiculous pining antics and just go on a date with him already.

It was frustrating for Mark, really. Everyone seemed to notice he was ready to lay on the ground and have Ethan walk over him, except for Ethan himself. Perhaps Mark was just a glutton for pain, because he actually found Ethan’s oblivion quite endearing. And while the other let him be unnecessarily close to him without complaining about it and without acting like Mark was a complete freak, that was good enough. Frustrating, yes, but Mark could live with it (maybe he’d finally ask the guy out just before graduation if he had a chance – that way, if Ethan said no, Mark could avoid any further embarrassment by just never seeing him again).

Ms. Young walked in and people started slowly filling up the room. “I trust you’ve all read the new script!” Oh, she was so excited. It was painful to see. “Right then,” She started, clapping her hands together. “Let’s talk parts.”

It wasn’t the first time Ethan got a lead part. It _definitely_ wasn’t the first time Mark got a lead part either, with his impressive voice projection (which Ethan was actually a little jealous of). In Ethan’s wildest dreams they would both get leading roles in the cheesiest love story to ever grace the mediocre stage of their school and they would repeatedly kiss in rehearsal because the final product had to be just right. But when Ms. Young told them Mark and Ethan would be playing Josh and Peter respectively, his face fell a little. _Come on_ , he wasn’t good enough of an actor to pretend to hate Mark! How was he supposed to do that?!

No one objected, of course, because it wasn’t like either of them was about to raise their hand and say “Excuse me, could you rethink that decision? You see, it’s just that I got this huge crush on him and that doesn’t sound very ideal”. So Ethan and Mark just glanced at each other, smiled, and shrugged. It was like Mark said; they couldn’t take it too seriously.

A few days passed, however, and things became… _Complicated_. It was like some evil entity had gotten a hold of Ethan’s dreams and warped them into something weird. They’d repeated the same scenes over and over again, because apparently their hatred wasn’t coming through the way it should. “Be angrier,” Ms. Young would suggest. “ _Nastier_.” They would sigh and start again, and while the both of them had agreed to not take it too seriously, Ethan couldn’t help but feel defeated that he couldn’t get it right.

“What’s up, Blue?” Mark’s voice came from behind him while Ethan reread the stage directions and hoped it would result on some kind of epiphany on how to play the part right.

“You know what’s up.” Ethan sighed. “It’s your fault. Be mean, dammit! That way I can hate you,” He joked in a distant voice, giving up on the script.

“Okay, how’s this,” Mark started before clearing his throat. “Your--- Hair looks weird today. Hah! How mean was that?”

Ethan giggled. “Oh, boy, this is hopeless.” Still, he unconsciously ran a hand through his hair, loving the way Mark smiled when he spotted the action. _Hopeless, indeed_.

“Come on, let’s try this again.”

“I thought you weren’t taking this seriously?”

“I’m not,” Mark shrugged. “I mean, the play’s garbage, y’know? But if getting this right will relax you a bit, then I’m all for it. Besides, I don’t want Ms. Young to be disappointed. She’s too nice, I’d feel bad.”

“Even though you just said her play’s garbage?”

“Well. Yeah.” Mark laughed.

And so they tried it again. And again, and again, and again. Without supervision, it was borderline impossible to get serious about it and they’d just melt into giggles. Finally they got a drink of water and took a deep breath, deciding to try it one last time before going home. They got ready. Ethan rubbed his eyes and hardened his expression. Mark hopped a little in place to rile himself up for the string of insults that was to come. Time to take it seriously.

It was a mystery how, with such effort to make it work, trying so hard to get in their characters’ heads during the heated argument, they somehow ended up so close to each other that Mark forgot his lines. He was grabbing on to Ethan’s shirt, screaming at Ethan’s face through gritted teeth while the other shot him a death glare, pretty sure Ms. Young would be proud of their performance this time around. And yet, Mark’s words fizzled out and his expression softened, staring at Ethan from far too close. _You could do it_ , the voice in Mark’s head told him. _You could do it right now. You’ve never been so close to doing it._

“Mark?” Ethan’s whisper of his name did nothing to quiet that pesky voice. “You’re supposed to---“

Ethan was silenced, Mark’s lips touching his own so softly Ethan almost thought he was dreaming again. He felt the grip on his shirt loosen, giving him the chance to run if he so desired. Ethan pressed his mouth more firmly against Mark’s and melted completely when he felt the other smiling into their chaste kiss.

“Well. This is gonna make it harder to hate you,” Mark muttered before going in for another kiss, butterflies fluttering in his stomach at the sound of Ethan’s giggle.

As it turned out, it didn’t. Even though they blushed madly the first few times they tried to do that same scene and ended up becoming frustratingly flustered, somehow Ms. Young was loving it. “The tension!”, She’d cried, standing up from her chair with newly found hope. “It’s brilliant!”

It worked out, in the end. Rumors spread around the school that the play was really about a couple who wouldn’t accept their feelings for each other due to the unconventional nature of them, and the turnout was incredible (well, for their school’s standards, anyway).

“Hating you is exhausting,” Ethan mumbled into Mark’s shoulder, having come up to him backstage after the play was done. He hugged his boyfriend from behind, clinging to him like a needy child. “Can we go get ice cream?”

“Yeah.” Mark grinned and turned his head to kiss Ethan’s dyed hair. “I think some ice cream is long overdue.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's like the Babadook, their play accidentally turned gay.  
> Feedback is always loved and appreciated ♥


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